Josef odelga



ATENT rricn JOSEF ODELGA, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

MANUFACTURE OF FIBROUS MATERIAL FROM WOOD FOR SURGICAL AND OTHER PURPOSES.

fiPECEFl'CATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,53 dated December 1,1885.

Application filed April 6, 1885. Serial No. 161,384.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OSEF ODELGA, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and a resident of the city of Vienna, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Fibrous Material from food for Surgical and other Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of wood fiber for use as a substitute for lint for surgical purposes, oras a filling material for other purposes. The said fibers may also be spun into yarn, and in this form be used in the manufacture of woven fabrics, cord, braided articles, netting, embroidery, and knitted fabrics.

Up to a recent date the dressing materials used for surgical purposes were made almost exclusively from linen or cotton. G. W. von N awrocki, however, in the specification of English Letters Patent granted to him, dated September 17, A. D. 1883, No. 4,444, a communication from Paul Hartmann, of Heidenheim, describes a method of preparing surgical dressings from wood. The wood fibers prepared according to the invention of Hartmann are not altogether suitable for dressing purposes in surgery, by reason of the slight manner in which the several particles or fibers cling to each other and of their splintery condition, and can only be used by placing them in small sacks or bags, or after carding them mixed with cotton.

According to the present invention I have succeeded in producing from wood a dressing material which not only possesses the great absorbent qualities peculiar to wood and the softness and suppleness of linen lint, but in which the several threads or fibers cling together in a similar manner to the linen lint known in surgery. The improved material is also considerably cheaper than dressing materials heretofore used.

The improved material,which I term wood lint, consists, like linen lint, of very fine long threads, having an unchanging fibrous structure, which can be placed directly upon a wound.

(No specimens.)

As compared with the linen lint hitherto used, the wood lint possesses the great advantage that the danger of spreading contagious diseases is obviated,while with the linen lint, mostly taken from old material, this danger is exceedingly great.

The wood lint can be employed in a loose condition, either raw or soaked with antiseptic or styptic materials, for surgical purposes. Moreover, the raw wood lint can be used as a filling material, instead of sea-weed, down, horse-hair, or the like. The product may also, either raw or with antiseptic or styptic materials, be pressed into the form of plates, or carded into the form of wadding without its being necessary to mix any other material with This product can also be spun into yarn, and the latter I term wood yarn. From this wood yarn woven fabrics, cord, braided articles, netting, embroidery, and knitted goods can be manufactured,which are stronger and cheaper than articles manufactured from jute, and in addition possess great hygroscopic qualities, which are advantageous for various purposes-for instance, for surgical purposes.

The manufacture of the wood threads for my wood lint and wood yarn takes place in the following manner-that is to say: The wood is cut into blocks or pieces of about fifty centimeters in thickness, and is barked on all sides, or only on the upper side, a smooth surface being formed by cutting away a suitable portion. Strips or boards can be treated in this manner. The wood is then scraped in the raw state by means of a scraper, either by hand or by machinery, in a direction contrary to the direction of the scraping-blade-that is to say, the scraper is drawn over the wood at an angle and in a direction contrary to the angle and direction of an ordinary planingtool. This scraping forms the essential part of my process, because the wood fiber can only be obtained in proper form by scraping.

I have found that the best results are obtained by using a wood having a loose grain. Wood of rapid growth gives better results than wood having a close grain.

The product obtained by the scraping is cleansed from the dust-like particles either I In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig- IO by sifting, shaking, beating, or washing, but nature in presence of two witnesses. preferably by means of a shaking-machine.

I claim-- 5 As a new article of manufacture, wood lint or Vegetable wool, consisting of fine long Witnesses: threads, having an unchanging fibrous struot- O. O. PAGET, ure and deprived of splinters or dust-like -E. G. FROELLER. particles, substantially as described.

J OSEF ODELGA. 

